Current issues

CURRENT ISSUES

Here is a list of some barriers and problems faced by the valoristes, as well as society as a whole in the current refund system in Quebec.

Socio-economic barriers:

Poverty & Homelessness

Decreased opportunities for “odd jobs” permitting to go look for extra income to often avoid falling into homelessness. The informal collection of refundable containers in exchange for cash is one of the only legal options left as “odd jobs”.

Difficult working conditions for the valoristes: discrimination and public health

Discrimination / “penalty for being poor”: the average valoriste has more difficulty to recover the full amount of refundables in comparison with the “traditional” customer because of certain barriers established by retailers: refusal to serve the valoriste, maximun quantity or amount refunded, obligation to consume the money refunded, refusal to count, batch purchase, etc.

Health problems which end up being charged to the collectivity: arthritis, osteoarthritis, cuts … are unfortunately becoming more common among valoristes. This is related to the difficult working conditions: scavenging often without gloves, long distances to find places of return refundables, heavy loads associated with glass containers, etc.